Author: Aleah

Posted in Adult, Nonfiction

Exploring Folklore & Folktales

Posted on by Aleah

I ran into a book recently, The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yōkai of Japanese Myth. I became more and more intrigued as I flipped through the pages, and I knew I needed to explore folklore and folktales and learn some more. What better place than a library!

What is folklore?
Folklore covers a wide span of traditional beliefs and stories of a community, such as myths, legends, practices, superstitions, etc.  Folklore is commonly passed from generation to the next by word of mouth.

What is a folktale?
Folktales focus on the stories that have been passed down from the ancestors of a particular group of people on to their younger generations.  Folktales vary widely in genre, ranging from fairy tales, historical, adventure, to ghost tales.  Like folklore, folktales pass along generations through word of mouth.

Culture plays an important part in both folklore and folktales, but this does not make them interchangeable.  Folklore captures a large range, from beliefs to superstitions, and is told in more of an informative, and even instructive way to the listener.  Whereas folktales are only the stories passed down to younger generations.  Here are a few books on different folklore and folktales that are on our shelf at Mead Public Library.

The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yōkai of Japanese Myth by Thersa Matsuura, Illustrated by Michelle Wang

I have always been intrigued by Asian Folklore, but not to the point where I’ve pushed to learn more.  Seeing this book gave me the push I needed.  I’ve heard of yōkai (the Japanese word for supernatural beings, like ghosts, demons, etc.), but was far from understanding.  This book is a wonderful teacher!  The writing is very light and entertaining, and the illustrations are vibrant and colorful, fitting each yōkai perfectly.
Each section starts with an overview of the yōkai, then it gives a nice background and popular stories the yōkai is found in, and then finishes with modern stories.

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Posted in Adult, New & Upcoming, Uncategorized

New! Simpl liftPlayer Music Player

Posted on by Aleah

Mead Public Library’s Experience Collection has a new item- the Simpl liftPlayer.

What is it?

The Simpl liftPlayer is an easy-to-use music player that was created for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. All you have to do is lift the top lid of the player and music will begin to play. There is a large button under that lid to skip a song, and then simply close the lid to stop the music.

Thanks to a generous grant from Sheboygan County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), the Mead Public Library has 6 of these music players available for check out. Click here to see current availability.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Memory Caregiver Kits

Posted on by Aleah

Did you know that Mead Library has memory caregiver kits? These kits are put together to support caregivers of those experiencing symptoms of dementia in all of it’s stages. Early stage kits focus on a goal with a tangible outcome. Early to mid stage kits involve activities that are broken into manageable chunks, so the user can focus on the experience rather than the overall outcome. Mid to late stage kits focus more on experience as well as sensations from an activity. Below are some of the items you might find in your kit:

Colored Pencils and Coloring Pages

Coloring can be a very relaxing activity for those experience dementia symptoms. It allows a person to focus and “zone out” for a period of time, as well as relieve stress and improve a person’s mood.

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Posted in Uncategorized

What’s New in Mead’s Experience Collection

Posted on by Aleah

Yup, that’s right! Mead has new things for it’s library of things! If you aren’t familiar with Mead’s Experience Collection, this is a collection of non-traditional library items. It includes free entry passes for a variety of locations, STEM kits, baking pans, games, ukulele’s, and so much more! You can find our display of all of the items right when you walk into the library, or take a search through monarchcatalog.org for Mead Public Library Experience Collection. Here are a few of our newest additions:

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Metal detector

This is one of those things you wish you had while walking down the beach to see if you find any treasure.  If you’ve wanted one, but just haven’t convinced yourself to get one yet, try out Mead’s Metal Detector!

This metal detector is perfect for searching in rugged ground conditions.  There are 3 modes, which include Motion All-Metal mode, Discrimination mode, and 2-Tone audio mode.  There is a Disc/notch control that you can set to distinguish between target metals and unwanted metals.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Dark but Humorous Memoirs

Posted on by Aleah

Have you ever wanted a book that takes you on a journey through someone else’s life?  A life that is so opposite of your own, it almost doesn’t seem real?  Once in a while, I like a “rock bottom” story, even if it feels uncomfortable, because there is usually a nice climbing out process that takes place towards the end, where the uncomfortable then turns to inspiration.  But a little bit of humor is always nice.  Here is a list of a few of my favorite darkly humorous memoirs.

Nowhere Girl: A memoir of a fugitive childhood by Cheryl Diamond

Cheryl Diamond spent her childhood feeling like she was on one adventure after another. She grew up with an extremely close family, her father, mother, and two older siblings. The five would travel across the world, changing identities and erasing their pasts. As a child, Diamond didn’t know that she was in a family of outlaws and fleeing from the highest international law enforcement agencies. 

As Diamond grew older, the trust she had in her family and their closeness started to unravel. As much as she wanted to leave this tumultuous life created for her, it seemed to be too late. She had no proof she even existed. This crazy coming of age story will leave you with some shocking, yet lightly funny, situations and moments of self-discovery and satisfying triumph.

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Posted in Adult, Award Winners, eBooks & eAudio, Graphic Novels & Memoirs, Nonfiction

Read-alikes for Educated

Posted on by Aleah

Have you been waiting on the holds list to read Educated by Tara Westover and just want a book to pass the time?  Or have you just finished Educated and now you’re wondering what you could possibly read that could ever compare?

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Here’s a list of books that just might fill the Educated void:

Estranged by Jessica Berger Gross

This memoir follows Jessica’s journey as a young woman who is abused, both physically and emotionally, by her father.  Later in her life, she decides to break away and cut all ties with her dysfunctional family to finally create a life for herself.  Though she struggles to overcome the trauma and pain that has internally built up throughout her childhood, Jessica works her way down an inspiring path to happiness.
This book is currently available right away in Audiobook format on Hoopla

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